My favorite way to get strong and powerful:
Snatch:
Clean and Jerk:
Yeah, they’re hard to do, but, like anything else, it’ll pay off at some point next year!
Month: December 2008
Seven-foot Tall Flower Arrangement
Today, I picked up a hand-me-down X-mas tree from my parents. I was rummaging around in their attic for some decorations when I found a bag full of artificial flowers. I figured since I like spring & summer a lot more than I like winter, that I’d give the tree a more “floral” look. Here it is so far…
Favorite Photos from Kansas City
Some of my favorites from Sunday:
Day 3- I finally race @ KCCX
I think it’s some sort of sick joke that the powers that be schedule the singlespeed CX race to go at 8:00a.m. on Sunday morning. Other than the potential for frigid temps, it doesn’t bother me (and lucky for me, it was unusually balmy Sunday morning). However, singlespeeders are notorious debaucherers…
From the singlespeed world championship event in Portland, OR:
I was hoping for some craziness at the line for my race, but, alas, other than being weird enough in the first place to want to ride a cyclocross race using only one gear was as odd as it got.
There were 82 starters, though only 55 official finishers. Why the 27 DNFs? Honestly, I have no idea, but I’m guessing it was a combination of a wreck in the first 100 yards as well as the countless riders I witnessed with dropped chains… I’m going on a little bit of a rant here: What’s with the dropped chains?!? I consider chain tension something to check along with tire pressure before every single ride. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but it’s never been an issue for me.
Anyway- back to the race…
When the official blew the whistle, we took off at full spin. As we passed the beer tent, someone from the sideline yelled, “SHIFT, DAMNIT!” A second or two later, someone must have tried, because there was a giant pile-up just before as well as just after turn #1. I used my elite wreck-avoiding skills to jump up a few positions as I negotiated my way through the melee. From there on out, I rode hard and had fun. I don’t know if I ever “turned myself inside-out” (in the words of the great Dave Towle), but I was pretty damn exhausted when I got pulled in 45th place just before the leader (who lapped me about halfway through my last lap) got the bell for his final lap. The only other woman in the race (Elizabeth Shogren- Sobe Cannondale) finished in an awesome 22nd place and went on to finish 35th in the Elite women’s race.
Some photos:
These are just a few of the singlespeed photos that Ryan took. For more, including Master’s men 30-34, Women 30-34 and 35-40, elite women, a few elite men, and some candids, check out Ryan’s KCCX PHOTO PAGE
After cleaning up and checking out of the hotel, Ryan and I went back to watch the Elite races. However, plummeting temps and a parking situation with potential to become a supreme cluster-ufck led to our leaving about halfway through the men’s race.
Fun. Hopefully the race remains centrally located so that we can go again next year!
Saturday at KCCX
Ryan raced today in the Masters 30-34 race. See photos from the race & his report HERE. I doubled as photographer and pit crew, though I wasn’t totally successful at both- his rear tubeless tire burped flat and I had to give him a bike change. That went well, but instead of getting a replacement rear wheel from the SRAM neutral equipment, I wasn’t thinking, and just re-inflated the flat tire and handed his bike back off to him 1/2 a lap later. The re-inflation mostly worked, though it still burped a couple more times during the course of the race, leaving him with the unsettling feeling of not knowing how flat his tire was during the remainder of the race.
I did manage to snap a few other random shots:
Fun with Kansas City Mud
Ryan and I arrived at the cyclocross nationals venue around 10:30 thins morning. After checking in and getting our numbers, we suited up to ride during the 12:00-1:00 open course time. There was some rain earlier in the week, so the 1.6 mile course was a combination of both the greasy-slippery and sticky peanut butter types of mud. I guess now is a good time to mention… I’ve never really ridden in the mud.
Needless to say, I fell down a few times! The sun came out and the winds picked up, and the surface actually improved a bit during the hour that we rode, and by the time the masters women started racing, it was getting a lot faster. As long as there is no more rain between now & Sunday, it should be in great shape for my race Sunday morning.
Afterward, I took some photos of the women’s 30-34 and 35-39 race since Kym (Vantaggio) and Kristen Wentworth (former teammate from Kenda) were racing in their respective categories.
Here are a few photos:
Andrea’s Rules of the Weightroom
If you’ve visited the “about me” section of my long-un-updated Brickhouseracing homepage, you know that I’ve spent my fair share of time in the weightroom. Lately, I’ve been hitting the weights a couple of times a week, and I thought that maybe a few of you could use some help… (this goes for cyclists as well as you run-of-the-mill “meatheads” out there!)
1. When you see/hear about how desirable it is to have a “V” shape, it is in reference to your torso ABOVE the waist- NOT your entire body. PUT THE DUMBELLS DOWN AND DO SOME EFFING SQUATS ALREADY! If you see me “checking you out,” it’s probably because I’m in awe of how large your upper body is and how stupidly small your legs are.
2. While we’re on the topic of squats: IT’S A SQUAT RACK. NOT A BICEPS-CURL RACK. Biceps femoris > Biceps Brachii. If this confuses you, check your muscle anatomy charts.
-One last thing about squats: top of thigh parallel to the ground or they don’t count.
-One last thing about biceps curl: elbow goes through a full range of motion or they don’t count. Stop lowering the weight to ~90-100 degrees @ the elbow just so you can use the 30s instead of the 25s.
3. If you sweat a little, use the paper towels, etc. that the gym provides to get your booty/back/head sweat off of the machine you just used. If you sweat a lot, save some trees and bring your own towel. Either way, don’t leave a damp patch for someone else to lay on.
4. Learn correct form. Don’t be “that guy” that’s turning a lat pull-down into a row or a bench press into anything that doesn’t involve the bar contacting the chest in a way other than a giant bounce.
5. There are two types of women in the weightroom:
-Those that are there to pick up guys (either at the weightroom itself or by “toning up” a bit to make themselves more attractive outside the weightroom)
-Those that are there to get stronger and, as an added bonus, possibly make themselves more attractive to themselves regardless of how they appear to the opposite sex.
-Do not gawk or stare at the latter of the two. She does not want your number, does not want to talk to you unless you honestly need help with your workout, and she does not want you using the mirror in front of her squat rack to watch yourself do biceps curls while she’s squatting.
6. Don’t sit on benches/machines in between sets if you even have the slightest inkling that someone may want to work in with you between your sets.
7. Stop treating your abs like they’re made of something other than skeletal muscle. There’s no reason to do 11ty billion repetitions of a bunch of rediculous “core” exercises. See that decline bench? Hold a 10 pound plate behind your head and do some situps.
8. Put your weights away when you’re finished with them
9. Don’t use lifting straps unless you absolutely HAVE to. Ever hear the phrase “wet noodle” used to describe a handshake? Yeah, that’s you, Mr. “I use straps for my entire back workout.” My grandmother has more grip strength than you.
10. While you’re at it, do some deadlifts… and no, I’m not talking about the “straight leg” type…
In case just stalking me by blog isn’t enough…
I started a Twitter thing… my username is AndreaMemphis. Creative, eh?
Countdown to KCCX
Ryan & I are leaving on Thursday for Cyclocross Nationals in Kansas City, MO. Last year, the weather was foul. It snowed several inches, and high temps were in the teens. The course was just a bunch of frozen, ice-covered ruts. This year, it looks like it will be warmer, with some rain chances thrown in. Sounds like a recipe for slop to me… luckily, I’ll be prepared:
Sorry, I don’t have photos of the actual sealing process. It takes both hands and can get a tiny bit messy if you’re not careful. Stan’s site has some great video of the process, though.
Training Zombie
The more than 11 hours I’ve spent on a bike between Friday & Sunday are catching up with me. I worked on some grades this morning, but after spacing out a few times while staring at my computer, I decided to call it a day. Now, I’m listening to the wind howling outside and thinking about how awesome it is that I get to ride 2 more hours today… I can’t wait for race season, when this will all pay off.